A newly published impact report on Hynt, the national access scheme for theatres and arts centres in Wales, shows an increase in theatre attendance and an improved quality of life for disabled audience members in Wales.
Hynt is an Arts Council of Wales initiative, managed by Creu Cymru in partnership with Diverse Cymru. In March 2014 Arts Council of Wales (ACW) appointed Creu Cymru to work in partnership with Diverse Cymru to deliver a single national access scheme for customers with disabilities and their essential companions. Hynt was developed with and by disabled people, the third sector, theatres and arts centres.
The report, funded by Arts Council England, makes a number of recommendations for future developments for the scheme and ACW, such as improving data collection and marketing but the main message is to build on the success of nearly a decade of Hynt.
As of October 2023, Hynt has issued 29,866 cards to members to be able to use their Hynt cards in over 41 theatres and arts centres and associate venues across Wales. These organisations pay to be part of Hynt and as a network receive staff training, an annual symposium and an opportunity to share best practice and learning.
Some of the amazing highlights from the report include:
- 76% of cardholders said being part of Hynt improved their access to culture.
- 89% would go to the theatre less without their Hynt card and 14% would not go at all.
- 82% say Hynt makes going to the theatre more affordable.
- 68% report that Hynt improves their physical access to venues.
- 52% say they are better able to access content.
- 81% of cardholder report Hynt increases the amount of social interaction in their lives.
As a result of being part of the Hynt scheme, cardholders visited theatre 75% more. This resulted in 144,000 more theatre visits across Wales, half of which were full price tickets. 58% of cardholders said they visited a new venue as a result of Hynt.
For every complimentary ticket venues gave to Hynt cardholders, they made an average of £23.53 in additional revenue.
In addition, local economies surrounding Hynt venues benefit to the tune of £3,261,200 a year.
For every £1 spent on Hynt, £6.05 of social value is created.
Hynt venues generate £42.33 in additional value for every complimentary ticket they give away.
The success of Hynt in Wales has inspired the arts development agencies of the other UK nations to develop a UK wide version of the scheme, further details of which will be announced shortly by Arts Council England.
The scheme is managed by Creu Cymru, a membership organisation for theatres, producing companies and freelancers working in the performing arts in Wales. Their membership forms a collaborative network; with a strengthened and unified voice that they project and advocate to public governing bodies, ensuring vital industry representation and influencing positive change.
Megan Merrett, Project Manager of Hynt said:
“This report is a powerful reflection of the impact of Hynt on Deaf, disabled and neurodivergent audience experiences. The recommendations will help us to develop Hynt with our project advisory group, member venues and associates. Huge thanks to Abi and Mark for producing the report and to all the wonderful people who contributed their experiences, thoughts and ideas. I’m excited to see Hynt grow and I’m glad to have been involved in creating a more consistent offer for our cardholders and their essential companions.”
Andrew Miller MBE, the UK Arts Access Champion said:
“Hynt was a groundbreaking initiative by The Arts Council of Wales in 2014 and as a member of the Council that approved it, I feel great pride in all the achievements listed in this report. I was moved by Peter's testimony about how membership of Hynt has restored his independence and sense of dignity. I was equally delighted to see how Hynt has boosted business at Theatr Clwyd and other venues.
This evaluation also provides critical data which will shape the UK version of Hynt that I champion, with important learnings on every page such as how every free companion ticket issued generates significant secondary income for venues.
Hynt has created real economic and social value, it has encouraged Welsh venues to improve their access, but best of all, it has provided over 26,000 disabled people with better access to culture. Hynt is a fantastic success story for Wales”.
Dafydd Rhys, Chief Executive of Arts Council of Wales said:
“The Arts Council of Wales are incredibly proud of Hynt, a programme which was developed from conversations with a member of the public who wondered why his disabled son – an avid theatre lover – couldn’t have the same level of service across all venues in Wales. Thus began a ground-breaking initiative taken forward on our behalf by Creu Cymru which, as this research now illustrates, has changed the lives of many disabled visitors and their personal assistants/carers across Wales. The statistics are impressive and represent a real and positive impact for venues and companies, but perhaps the biggest success story is for disabled attenders. We will celebrate this success here in Wales as we continue to lead the way with Hynt, and will work with colleagues in the other UK Nations to shape a programme to make sure that these benefits are spread further afield and will promote accessibility to high quality arts events.”
Abid Hussain, Director, Diversity, Arts Council England said:
“The success of Hynt has inspired the cultural development agencies across the UK nations to come together to develop ‘All In’, a UK access scheme which aims to improve the experience of D/deaf, disabled, and neurodivergent people when attending creative and cultural events. We recognise the important work of Hynt to date, and this evaluation will be crucial to informing the continued development of All In across the UK.”